Melbourne...Again

Being back in Melbourne and checking into Urban Central again was almost like being back home. I knew that for the next few months I'd be somewhere I know and love. After going into the recruitment agency to confirm my work details for the following Monday, I was back to my usual routine of happy hour drinks at the hostel bar. Quite a few people I'd met here previously were longtermers, living and working in Melbourne, so luckily I knew plenty of people.

My first day back at work was a breeze. I really thought that I'd have forgotten everything, but after a few hours back at my old desk it all came back to me. It was like I'd never left Melbourne, with my days of packing oranges in Renmark a distant memory!

That evening, with Sarah, who I'd met on my Grampians/ Great Ocean Road trip, I went to the 'Neighbours Night', something I'd never gotten around to doing the lsat time I was here. Neighbours is filmed in the suburbs of Melbourne, and every Monday night a few of the cast put on an evening at the Elephant & Wheelbarrow pub in St. Kilda. The pub fills up with backpackers for a quiz night and cheap drinks, then out comes the Neighbours cast, with the star of the night always Dr Karl Kennedy. I haven't watched Neighbours for about 12 years, so the only preson I recognised was Karl. And I told the rest of them this when they came round for photos at the end of the night! Despite not knowing who anyone was, I got plenty of photos which
I've put on Facebook, in the hope that someone I know watches the show and therefore knows who i'm posing in photos with!

So working life continued as normal, 9 - 5 everyday, and being considerably responsible in the evenings for a backpacker, always in bed relatively early, and no hangovers at work! However, this time round I saw Melbourne as a new and completely different city. Despite working here for 3 months before, I lived so far away that I was straight on the train the moment I finished work. I loved being in Frankston, but this time was as it should be.... I was meeting other backpackers, having fun all the time, whether that meant just chilling out in the hostel with everyone, having drinks after work in a bar overlooking the Yarra river, or cheap dinners out at the restaurants we'd find with good food at budget prices. Sometime I'd just put on my ipod and walk around, listening to my music and watching the everyone carrying on with their daily routines. This time I was really experiencing what the city has to offer, and not worrying about the 2 hour commute home.

I might have mentioned before that Melbourne's hidden gems are tucked down laneways and alleys. The best bars, clubs and restaurants you often come across by accident when you're looking for somewhere else! Melbourne is considered an arty 'alternative' city, and what I like is that a lot of the bars aren't always convential. One of them, the Croft Institute, is down a load of graffiti covered back alleys. When you get there, the ground floor bar is decked out like science lab, test tubes and all. The second floor has the toilets are lke an old hospital, inclusive of a hospital bed in the ladies toilets! And the top floor is an old school gym, with grass and monkey bars and everything! My particular favourite is Section 8, right in the middle of Chinatown. By day you wouldn't look twice at it. Behind a barbed wire gate, all you see are 2 big shipping containers. One opens up as a bar, and the other is the toilets. All you sit on are piles of wooden pallets. There are lanterns dangling from the walls and graffiti everywhere, as there is down most of Melbourne's laneways. But at night the place comes alive, attracting people from your funky alternative types to your yuppy 'suits', and then your average backpacker like me. It sounds so simple to put together, but I can assure you the guy who opened this place is not only a genius, but probably rolling in it. It's always busy, the music's good and the cocktails are delicious.

On the weekends there would always be something going on; I always had places to go and people to see. I had friends dotted all over from when I was living and working in Portugal, so we'd get together every now and then, for dinner during the week in the city or drinks on a sunny Sunday afternoon in St. Kilda. Then there was the Frankston lot.... so attached to where they live it was impossible to drag them away, but I'd happily go down there occassionally for a good old drinking session with the boys like I used to.

By the end of October we were all getting ready for a big weekend. First, was Hallowe'en. Some of the girls I knew had moved out of the hostel into their own apartment, so for their housewarming they had a fancy dress Hallowe'en party. It was great fun, we had everything from Dorothy out of the Wizard of Oz, to Pirates, to Batwoman, and then the usual witches/ vampires etc. We all got together for drinks at the hostel first, so by the time we left, this giant group of 30 or so people would have looked a sight, walking through the city in our costumes. After the houseparty, we all went to a bar, where we didn't look out of place amongst everyone else all dressed up. But when I left to walk back to the hostel, I cut through the Crown Casino, as I always did, but had totally forgotten I was dressed as a cowgirl. It took me a while understand why these tiny little old Asian women who played the slot machines round the clock were pointing, staring and laughing at me!

So that was the Satuday night. On the Tuesday was Melbourne Cup day, which is the horse racing. The end of October and beginning of November Melbourne goes crazy about the horse racing, with Melbourne Cup the biggest day, and also a public holiday. So all us girls went out and bought our dresses, shoes, matching bags and hats, and got together for a (10 dollar) champagne breakfast before heading down to the Flemington racecourse to watch the races, not that I actually saw a horse the whole time I was there (a bit like not watching a game of tennis when I went to the Australian Open in January)! The whole city is bustling with people dressed in their finest. The train stations are jam packed, and the racecourse itself is just a mass of thousands of people drinking champagne and gambling their money away. Being completely hopeless, I didn't put a single bet on either. I did however, drink enough champagne to say that I would be perfectly happy if I never drank it again! What a mistake considering the next day, a Wednesday, was just a normal day at the office. Doing inductions for 30 new employees at 10 in the morning with a stinking hangover is no fun at all. But the day at the races was great fun. Next time though, I'd like to have a little flutter, or at least see a horse!

The next few weeks were just working hard, and playing harder at the weekends. The social life of a backpacker is brilliant. By this stage there was such a big group of us at the hostel that choices of where to go out and who to go with were endless. There was always someone going here or there. Or sometimes, we'd have just as much fun having a few drinks at the hostel and not even going anywhere.

Before I knew it, the christmas lights started appearing around the city, and I'd hear the odd carol playing on the radio as I walked past a bustling cafe on my way to work in the morning. And then, in David Jones, the store where I worked, they were putting up the christmas trees. But, walking through the city hearing Mariah Carey's 'All I want for Christmas' playing in every shop still doesn't get you feeling festive when it's 30+ degrees outside.

Towards the end of November we had a heat wave which lasted about 3 weeks. It's still only early Spring in Melbourne at that time of year, but the temperature hit 37 degrees, and it was humid and muggy, which is horrible to walk to work in. Especially as I had to wear black for work everyday. But it meant that weekends at the beach were in order. And on weeknights, we'd sit outside on the hostel's deck, or go down to the pier at Port Melbourne beach and have a few quiet drinks whilst making the most of the warm evenings.

By the end of November, the crew that we'd built up at Urban began to get smaller. Some people were flying home, either for Christmas, or because their visas were up, or some people were moving on to be somewhere else for Christmas. This meant that we had plenty of nights out at the weekends for people's leaving dos. Although we had a great time in that sense, it was also really sad, as always, to say goodbye to people that you get so close to over time.

By now, as I was thinking about Christmas, I realised that I'd been in Australia nearly a year, and there was still so much I had to see before my visa expired in January. I loved Melbourne, but by now I'd been here nearly 7 months on and off. And so I spoke to my manager at David Jones and confirmed my leaving date as Friday 4th December. This meant I had a few weeks between then and Christmas to see as much of the east coast as I had time for, before heading to Sydney to spend Christmas and New Years with friends I knew from home.

This time when I left David Jones I knew it was for good. In my last week we did a Secret Santa, had dinner and drinks after work and squeezed in a few lunches. It was a good send off and they spoilt me, which was lovely as I'd really enjoyed my time working there. But as always with travelling, there becomes a time when you need to move on...

I had one last crazy weekend with my mates at the hostel. I even persuaded the guys from Frankston to come into the city. We went to the Belgium Beer Gardens for Sunday sessions, which was brilliant, I'm annoyed I hadn't been sooner. The place is just rows and rows of tables in a huge beer garden, selling European beers on tap, and with Jazz bands playing in the background. We were lucky that the weather was still great. And I was even luckier that I didn't have to get up for work in the morning!

After saying my final goodbyes, hopefully just for now, it was time to go somewhere new.

A Bit of Glenelg, the Grampians, and the Great Ocean Road

I got back to Adelaide after 4 hours on the bus. I headed straight for Glenelg again on the tram. This time, my friend James was away surfing for the weekend, so instead of staying with him again I checked in to the Glenelg Beach Hostel, just down the road from him and closer to the beach. Already I felt better about being out of Renmark. I went back into the city for a wander, as I'd neglected it the last time i was here.
That evening, after watching the sunset from the pier yet again, I just stayed in the hostel bar and met some other backpackers before having an early night.
The following morning, waking up fresh as a daisy, the sun was shining and the beach was calling! This would be the first beach I'd been to (in decent weather) in months. After a relaxing day, and another few drinks at the hostel bar with the people i'd met the previous night, James called. The sea was too rough to surf, and so they'd headed back from their trip a day early, and wanted to know if I was keen to go out. I was straight out the door the moment I put the phone down.
I met him at the Highway Inn (it's nicer than it sounds), where he and his mates were watching their team, the Adelaide Crows, play in the AFL finals. Afther the Crows lost, and the boys had had a few drinks to come to terms with it. we headed into the city.
Last time in Adelaide I'd b een particularly unimpressed. But this was by day. By night was a different story. James and his mates showed me a good night out at 2 brilliant clubs in the city.
At 5am, I put myself in a taxi and sent myself home. I only remembered where i'd been when I woke up, by the club's stamps still on my arm, and the awful, drunken photos on my camera.
Today, the weather was crap, raining and cloudy, a big difference from the day before. But this was fine by me; a perfect excuse to not get out of bed, and instead, recover from the night before, which was the best night i'd had in ages after spending so long in the riverland.
I popped round to see James later in the day (he was feeling just as rough as I was) to say my goodbyes to him and his family. Assuming I come back to Australia for another year and decide to visit Glenelg again, James and his girlfriend will be away travelling. Although this didn't stop his mum from offering me a place to stay - bless her!
The next day, I booked my trip to Melbourne. I was doing a 3 day/ 2 night tour to the Grampians and the Great Ocean Road, ending up in the city centre.
So, on my last day in Glenelg, I just chilled on the beach, and of course, watched one last sunset from the pier.
Packing that night, I was like an excited kid on Christmas Eve. I was alone in my dorm, so I had my music blaring while I packed and got myself organised.

I had to be at the Hilton in the city at 7am, which meant lugging my bags and catching the tram at 6.30am. Waiting outside the Hilton with my backpack, looking tired and scruffy, I felt considerably out of place.
My bus came to get me, late of course, and I met 2 of the other people on the trip, a German girl and a French guy. Considering the company I went with is a well known one, and popular amongst backpackers, I was looking forward to meeting the 12 or so other people I expected to be on the trip. We went to a hostel and picked up Sarah from Manchester, and then we were on our way. That was it.... a grand total of 4 people! Not quite the lively trip I had been hoping for! The German girl and French guy spoke next to know English - poor sods must have been bored out of their minds with no one to talk to, and barely understanding our guide. Thankfully, Sarah was just as chatty as me, so we barely stopped talking while we were on the road. As always with meeting other backpackers whilst travelling, it's great to hear other people's opinions about places to go/ avoid and tell stories about where you've been.
Sarah and I both said, had it not been for eachother, we don't know how we'd have survived the trip with no one else to talk to!
So the first stop was the Grampians, one of Victoria's (we'd crossed the border by now) most outstanding natural beauties. The first place we went to here was the McKenzie Waterfall a fair trek from where we got off the bus. Luckily I was all prepared with my walking shoes and 2 litres of water - it was a long time since I'd done any excercise!
We had to walk down about 400 stops in a valley (walking down was fine, I just dreaded making our way back up)! When we got there I wasn't overly impressed to be honest. It was nice, I suppose, but after the absolutely stunning waterfalls I'd been too, and swam in, in Laos and Malaysia, nothing really compares. The only surprising part was that there was any water at all, considering the drought South Australia and Victoria have been having the last few years.
After the compulsory 'pose of front of the waterfall' photos, we headed back up the steps, collapsing by the time we reached the bus. And this was only the start of it over the next few days!
Back on the bus, having all the space we needed with only 4 of us, I resisted the urge for a little nap. We drove on to what's called the Balconies, and the Reed Lookout. The tour guide waited while we trekked through the mass of burnt forest - this area was badly affected by forest fires in 2006. We came to an opening and were completely taken aback by what we saw. We stood on a railed ledge that overlooked some of the most breathtaking views i've ever seen.

Under the clear blue sky was 90 km of forest, set deep into a valley almost as far as the eye could see, framed with mountains. I took so many photos yet I don't think a single one did it justice. So instead, I just stopped for a minute and took it all in. When you think of Australia you picture beaches or desert; I was never expecting anything like this, and it was just beautiful. And... there was more of this to come over the next couple of days.
After such an exhausting day it was time to head to the small town of Halls Gap, where we were staying for the night.
We pulled up at a hostel called Brambuk backpackers, set right in the heart of the forest. The town of Halls Gap is nothing but holiday homes for people to rent, and spend their time exploring the Grampians. The views from every window would be amazing, and there's no noise apart from the wildlife, such as kangaroos, going about their business oustide. The place was just so calm and tranquil. The hostel was really quiet, with only a few other people staying there and it had a big log fire and leather sofas. It was the perfect place for relaxing after a long day, and preparing for the next one. That night we were all asleep by about 9 at the very latest.
We were up at 6 for breakfast (a decent sized breakfast considering there were only 4 of us - another bonus from having a small group).
Next was a drive to the nearby Wonderland range, for a 2 hour trek to the Pinnacle. This was tough, especially with Sarah and I being smokers; We had to stop the group for a rest about 5 times! We were walking up the side of mountains, through forests, on rocky ground, it was so hard. Although we new it'd be worth it every time we looked back and saw Halls Gap looking more and more like a toy town the further up we got.
Eventually, after a gruelling 2 hours, we made it to the Pinnacle, a lookout point over yet more valleys. This time, aside from just forest, there were huge lakes dotted amongst the trees. Yes, I realise this doesn't sound particularly exciting, nor have I described it well, but words really don't do this scenery any justice. Nor do the photos (not that it stopped me from taking about 50 of the same thing)! I was so impressed, much moreso that I thought I'd be when I booked this trip. I think it'd be impossible not to be mesmorised by the views.
After we trekked back down, climbing over rocks and crossing bridges over water running through the mountains, we went to the Brambuk Aboriginal Culture & Info Centre, run by the the same people who run the hostel, to learn about, well, Aborigial Culture. Which although interesting, is the only history Australia has so so it's not like we hadn't read about it all before. Although I suppose this time was different from being in a museum in the city, we were actually in a real Aboriginal environment.


After this, it was time to head to the Great Ocean Road, a long coastal road running along the coast of Victoria, and the second part of our tour. In typical Victoria fashion, as we reached what is supposed to be a stunning and scenic stretch of road, the weather turned and became overcast and miserable. Hoodies on, we stopped at the Bay of Islands and the Bay of Martyrs. Lovely, yes; Amazing, no. It felt like I was just getting off the bus and taking photos because I felt like I had to.

Next, however, were the 12 Apostles (although only 6 or 7 remain) which were worth getting off the bus for. The 12 Apostle are rock formations standing tall in the middle of the ocean, just off the coastline, and are one of the reasons people travel the Great Ocean Road. So, typical of a tourist spot, it was full of snap-happy Japanese. The idea was that we'd get there for sunset, and that it'd be amazing, with great photos etc. But the sun was no where to be seen, hiding behind thick grey clouds. I only just managed to get my photo taken before it started to piss it down. We just managed to get to the London Bridge before the rain really spoilt it for us.

The 12 Apostles, London Bridge, Bay of Martyrs etc are all gradually being eroded by rough seas and the weather conditions, so it's more than likely that in years to come, nothing will be left standing.
Our guide told us about a group of tourists who walked across onto the London Bridge, and as they did so, part of it crumbled behind them, leaving them stranded until a helicopter came to their rescue! Now, it's all strictly out of bounds and you just walk within the rails.
We drove on in the pouring rain, after taking loads of photos that all pretty much looked the same, and checked into the Oceanview Backpackers in Apollo Bay. What a contrast from where we'd stayed the night before, looking out onto the choppy ocean and grey sky. It was such a shame the weather was bad because otherwise it was such a nice, peaceful seaside town.
We sat out on the deck (undercover) playing card games while our poor guide cooked us a BBQ under an umbrella. After yet another giant meal we just relaxed until we were ready for bed after yet another long day.
In the morning, at 6am again, we got up to watch the sunrise at the 12 Apostles, but decided against it when we saw that it was still pouring down. Instead we continued driving along this coastal road, not really able to appreciate it through the rainy haze.
At one point, on a part of the road that reminded me of Langkawi Island, Malaysia, where we stopped to feed monkeys, we pulled over to spot koalas (my favourite Australian animal)! I loved it, again like an excited kid. I was running through puddles in the forest in the pouring rain, desperate to spot some, annoyed when I couldn't. It wasn't til our tour guide pointed a few out to us that I realised they don't just dangle off trees waiting to be photographed by tourists. Instead, you have to look 100m up a tree, to the end of the thinnest, weakest looking branch, to spot this cute, funny creatures, curled in a ball, balancing, oblivious to us, the rain, or the fact that the branch could snap under their weight at any moment!
Like a typical child, I was making noise, whistling, clapping my hands, doing what it took to wake these animals from their slumber, to wave or pose for the camera, but to no avail. And they were so high up that in any photos I did take, they just look like a part of the tree. But still, I'm glad I got to see them in their natural habitat, even if they didn't smile for a photo!
Next, we were supposed to go on a trek through a rainforest, but we decided against it because it was just so wet. Instead we stopped in yet another seaside town, Lorne, for coffee and a cake, hoping for it to ease off.
After our rest stop, we went to Bells Beach, home of the Rip Curl surfing competition, somewhere I was supposed to go months earlier but didn't because of the weather. This time I didn't even get off the bus. I didn't see the point in looking at and taking photos of yet another rain-soaked beach. And so I slept, all the way to the city of Melbourne, where I'd left only 2 months previously. Even so, I was excited to be going back to somewhere I know and love.
This time around, instead of staying with my mates again in the suburbs and commuting into the city, I decided to stay at Urban Central, where I knew other backpackers, until I could find an apartment to rent for the duration of my stay.
So after a really great few days, only partly spoilt by the weather and the two non-English speaking backpackers, I was back in Melbourne, ready to get back into the swing of city life!

Renmark and the Riverland

Getting off the bus in Renmark I was pleasantly surprised. Here to do the same work as I’d done in hillbilly Gin Gin, I imagined the town to be the same. But, driving through at about 4.30pm, it seemed semi-normal. They actually had a few clothes shops, cafes and restaurants, overlooking the Murray River.
I called the hostel I was booked into so they could come and pick me up from the bus stop. When Collin arrived in the battered old camper van, any sense of normality I’d felt two minutes earlier completely vanished! He pulled up and helped me load all my bags into the van. He was a guy in his mid to late sixties, with the trademark no-toothed grin that I’d come across so many times in these small towns.
We drove to the Renmark and Paringa Backpackers, a small non-hostel looking building down a quiet residential street. I later found out the hostel used to be a Sunday school, which they’d converted, and then managed to cram two sets of bunk beds into seven small and basic rooms.
When I got to my room I met my three roommates, a brother and sister, Gun & Jai, and Stella, all three from South Korea, and none of them with any conversational English. My nightmare had begun….
Of the 28 backpackers, only six of us were Western. Even with the six of us, only four were English speaking. The other two were German with only a limited grasp of the language. The other 22 came from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
I was dreading the next three months or so that I would be spending in this town. That night, sitting on the sofa watching some crappy Ozzy reality TV show, (one good thing was that I’d rarely have to fight over the remote)! I was starving because I hadn’t managed to do any food shopping before the supermarket shut. Then, as though they could read my mind, two of the Japanese girls, Haru and Mai, brought me over a plate of sushi they’d made and a slice of cake. I instantly thought things wouldn’t be as bad as I’d feared.
The next day, being a Saturday, I wasn’t able to start my hunt for work. Luckily the sun was shining, so after walking around in circles exploring the place for about an hour, it was an acceptable time to start drinking. So I poured a glass of wine, and enjoyed the rays whilst sitting outside and reading my book.
By Monday I was bored; there was only so much sitting around and doing nothing I could do. At least I could get started with the jobhunt. After taking the Koreans to work, Collin drove me to a few places to apply for the usual picking/ packing jobs.
That day, I also met the other English-speaking people who were staying at the hostel, who had been in Adelaide for the weekend. They were an 18-year-old couple from New South Wales, on an adventure from the boredom of everyday life (Bless them – not much of an adventure)! Still, it now meant that I had people to talk to.
Within a few days I’d got work at nearby packing sheds, so at least I wouldn’t be climbing up and down trees picking fruit all day. Of the six of us at the hostel, one left to head back to Sydney. The other five of us all ended up working together at the sheds. The boys lifted boxes of tangelos, mandarins, oranges and the dreaded lemons.
Us girls were basically putting the fruit in boxes…all day! It was awful, back breaking and mind numbing!
We stood infront of huge conveyor belts, and went the fruit flew down we had to pack them according to size and quality (good fruit went to UK/ US, bad fruit went to Japan)!! All the really bad fruit we had to put in a giant bin, which then becomes orange juice. The stories I’ve heard about what goes into the juicers…. Besides manky oranges, people claim to have seen birds, rats and even snakes. It’s enough to put you off fruit juice for life.
We started work at 7am each day, had three short breaks, and finished at 5.30pm. Days were long and hard. Throughout that whole time, we didn’t get to talk to each other except on breaks. Also, ipods weren’t allowed, so we were along with our thoughts all day! One advantage was that I had time to think about what I was going to do once I left Renmark, and plan my trip. On almost a daily basis my plans changed… a result of having too much time to think about it! Other than that, I’d sing in my head, or sometimes as loud as I could because no one could hear me anyway, to keep me occupied.

Evenings were spent mainly at the hostel. The communal area was based around the kitchen, so we’d all cook together most nights. We also had some friends who were camping nearby. Occasionally we’d get a big group of us together and go to the campsite, take some beers, and have a BBQ, then sit around the campfire the boys had so proudly made! Two of the boys had guitars and were great singers, so they’d provide the entertainment for the night.

At the weekend we’d all go to the pub, which was as exciting as it got. Still, it wasn’t a bad life, but only because I knew it was temporary. It could’ve been worse, I could’ve been back in a tent in Gin Gin.
After a few weeks, work started to quieten down, going from six days a week to five, then four, til eventually we were only working three days some weeks. By now, the money I was earning barely covered the cost of living, which meant I couldn’t afford to put anything in savings.
One good thing with the lack of work was that it affected all of us staying at the hostel, so on our days off, in the glorious 35-degree heat, we could spend time together. We had BBQs aplenty, or spent the day sitting by the river with an esky full of beers eating fish and chips.
Sometimes, if the weather was crap and I was stuck in the hostel, all day, the Koreans would make me food. It’s tradition in their country to eat soup when it rains, so that’s exactly what we’d do! Spicy, Korean soup, it was lovely! And we weren’t allowed to wash up after either (even though we always offered), because they were the hosts. Instead, they’d all play rock, paper, scissors to decide who did the dishes!
Even better was when one of the Asians left. Not for that reason, but because they made the best food for the leaving parties! (Once I offered to pay them money to cook me all my meals instead of buy food myself, I loved it so much)! Anyway, everyone would come together for these parties; the Koreans, Taiwanese and Japanese, and all make dishes from their country. I didn’t…. I told them what I eat is boring –pasta/ rice/ noodles – so instead I’d buy a cake and nibbles, and a cask of wine. What a disappointment I am to the food of my country! But still, my contribution was always popular!
One afternoon, at work, after spending the morning outside due to an acid spill in the warehouse, the roster went up for the following day. I saw that again, I wasn’t rostered on the next day. It meant that three days into the week I had only worked once. Getting my 88 days done was going to take forever, and on top of that, I’d have no money saved by the end of it, in order to carry on with my trip (which was all planned by now)! An example of how unpredictable backpacking is, that you can never make definite plans because things never work out the way you expect.
You have to wonder how the locals in these towns survive, never knowing when their next day at work would be. Somehow they cope, despite having mortgages and mouths to feed etc. I’m lucky that I only need to look after myself!
So anyway on this day I’d just had enough and decided that I’d move on to yet another hillbilly town in search of more work. On that afternoon’s break, mind made up, I checked my phone, and as if I’d had a sign from above, I had missed calls and a voicemail from my old employers back in Melbourne asking me to come back. They’d called a couple of times before in the two months since I’d left, but as my priority was always to get my 88 days done, I’d not even considered it. In fact, I’d never planned to go back to Melbourne for long, just long enough to see my mates in Frankston and to pick up all the clothes I’d left at Beau’s house! But, because of my current work situation I didn’t even need to think twice about it. The moment I left work that day I called my old Manager at David Jones and told her I’d be back to start in my old job in two weeks, giving me enough time to finish work in Renmark and make my way back to normality.
My last week in Renmark, everyone decided to leave at pretty much the same time, but to go off in different directions. We’d all had enough. The 18year old couple had split up since we’d been there (the pressures of travelling get to everyone)! Tom was heading back to New South Wales and Renee was coming on the bus with me to Adelaide, to the nearest airport, so she could continue with her adventure. She’d grown into a really confident girl in the time that I’d known her and was happy to travel alone after her break up! Brummy Kev and two guys from Tazzy were going on a road trip to Western Australia. We were leaving just two people from our group of friends, and that’s only because they had no money at all so weren’t in a position to leave.
It was sad, as we’d all grown so close over the last 8 or so weeks, living and working together. But as always with travelling, you meet people, have fun, and at some point have to say goodbye. We were all going on to better things, and more importantly, leaving Renmark behind us!

Do you want to go to the seaside....

I landed in Adelaide having only had 3 hours sleep. Feeling grumpy but excited at the same time, I waited outside the airport for my mate James to pick me up.
I met James and his brother, and a load of their friends, when I lived in Portugal and they were travelling around Europe.
I’d been in touch with him since I’d been in Oz, and he had offered me a place to stay in Adelaide. We drove to his lovely house in the beautiful seaside suburb Glenelg. I fell in love with the place the moment I arrived.
After we’d had breakfast and a much needed coffee I went with James’s girlfriend Alice on the short tram ride into the city.
Adelaide itself isn’t a very impressive city. It’s very small in comparison to Melbourne, with only about a quarter of the population. One nice thing about it though is the architecture, lots of old buildings and churches…. Melbourne is full of modern skyrises.
So Alice showed me around, which took all of about an hour, and then we went shopping. By lunchtime I was ready to collapse in bed.
Back at James’s I slept for most of the day, then got up, got dressed, and went to his local pub for a few beers, which then led on to a few glasses of wine…and so on!
On the Sunday James and Alice had planned to take me to McLaren Vale which is a winery about an hour away. South Australia is known for making wine and they have loads of vineyards all over the state. In fact, my friend Justine’s family own one of the most successful wineries in Australia – it even gets a mention in the Lonely Planet guide! (I met Justine in Portugal too).
So anyway, the plan was to go to McLaren Vale for some wine tasting, but, feeling a bit fragile, we decided against it. Instead, we walked along the beach and the marina, as it was such a beautiful winters day, and ended up stopping in a nice bar at the marina pier for a hair of the dog – what a surprise! The rest of the day was a write-off; we crashed out on the sofa watching movies til it was time for bed.

When I woke up on Monday everyone was at work. Being yet another lovely day (I was really lucky with the weather the whole time I was in Adelaide) I walked the dog, Alfie, along the beach, a nice start to the day. Then I went to the Bay Discovery Centre in the Glenelg Town Hall. I actually went because I’d read in the Lonely Planet guide that there was an exhibit about sharks and shark attacks, which are really common in that area. But when I got there I found out that the exhibit had moved about a year ago! Still, I stayed and read about the history of Glenelg. When James was home from work I told him what I’d learnt, none of which he knew. It’s typical that when you live somewhere you don’t take the time to learn about it.
The next day, on my own again, I got the tram into the city to have a wander around the well-known Central Market, stopping in Chinatown for lunch in a budget (but very nice) Asian restaurant recommended by the Lonely Planet.
After lunch, as always with cities that I visit, was the South Australia Museum and then the Art Gallery. Neither was particularly interesting, but what can I expect from a country that doesn’t really have any history. Apart from a load of information on the Aboriginals, the museums over here don’t seem to have anything else to offer.
Back at James’s it was time to start looking for more ‘agricultural’ work somewhere in South Australia, so I could complete my 88 days. There was a fair bit I wanted to do in and around the city, but I didn’t want to carry on going out during the day and spending money without knowing when I’d next be earning again.
Looking for this sort of work is difficult, because once you have a job you still need to find a working hostel to live in. This is the hard part, as there are more backpackers than there are beds in hostels. I called 4 different ones everyday, always told they were full.
Finally, on about my fifth day of trying, I found a hostel that had one bed available, which the lady told me she could only keep for 24 hours for me. I immediately booked the first bus out of Adelaide the next morning the minute I hung up the phone.
With today being my last day by the beach, I headed down to the pier to watch the sunset. The whole time I’d been in Oz I’d been on the east coast, so this was the first time I’d get to watch the sun set over the sea (we all know I love a sunset)!
Later, was a night out at the Maid and Magpie bar in the city. It was a friend’s birthday (another person I met in Portugal), so luckily I was able to go out and catch up with everyone I knew in Adelaide before leaving so suddenly.
I was only in Adelaide/ Glenelg for a week but that was long enough. As cities go, Adelaide’s not the greatest, especially having come from Melbourne. Glenelg however, was just beautiful. But being winter, it wasn’t like I could make the most of the beach, sea etc.

The place I was heading to for work was Renmark, a small riverland town about 4 hours from Adelaide, close to the Victoria border.
I was disappointed that I hadn’t done a great deal here, but I knew that in a few months I’d be coming back via Adelaide, hopefully by the time it warms up for some quality beach-time!

Melbourne 2 Part 2

After 4 weeks of splitting my time between Frankston and the city, I decided to give commuting a go. This would save me 5 days of hostel fees, and instead i'd only have to pay the train fare, which is only $50. It's great because it's so cheap, and includes trams and buses in and around the city. But there's a reason it's so cheap.... the service is crap!

I would leave the house at 6.50 each morning to catch the bus to the train station. I would just make the 7.32 train, which would then take over an hour to get to the city. The distance from Frankston to Melbourne is the same as Shenfield to London, which we can do in 25 minutes. But this train journey was so slow, or delayed, or would break down half way there. By the time i got to the city, with the 10 minute walk to the office, I was lucky to be at my desk by 9 each morning. And then i had to do it all over again on the way home, never arriving before 7pm. Luckily I worked with a nice bunch of women who didn't mind if ever I was late in the morning, and so I carried this on for the next 6 weeks of working there. I was exhausted every day, but had about $150 more in my savings each week.
By Friday's I was always too shattered to go out, and then Saturday's I was at the footy with the boys, as usual.

Occassionally I'd stay in the city mid-week if i had plans to go out with the other backpackers i'd met. We went to Dracula's Cabaret, which is apparently a 'must-see' for all tourists. It was an interesting night to say the least. Every waiter/ waitress is in character the whole night. We had a 3 course dinner, ending with a dessert which was a coffin made of chocolate. Cocktails had skulls floating in them, and we got a ghost train to our table. The cabaret was great too. It's not something I'm usually interested in nor will i do again, but it was a good night. (Except you weren't allowed cameras in there)!

Back at the hostel, every night was themed. Monday - poker night; Tuesday - quiz night; Wednesday - live band; Thursday - some sort of fancy dress in exchange for an hour of free drinks. This was always a good night, so when i went to the city in the week, I'd try to make it a Thursday.

About an hour from Frankston and further from Melbourne, is Phillip Island, another tourist hot spot, because of the Penguin Parade. At sunset everyday, hundreds of penguins come out of the sea, and run/ waddle across the beach to burrows in the ground.

So one Sunday, Beau, Kirsty and I headed down there early morning. First of all we went to a nature park, where I saw koalas for the first time since being in Australia, and i completely fell in love with them. They are the cutest creatures and so funny to watch, even sleeping they made me laugh.

Also there were wallabies, which we had eating food out of our hands. I saw my first wombat, and loads more native Ozzy animals like kangaroos and dingoes, which i'd already seen when we were camping.

We left there after an hour or so, me acting like an excited kid, and drove to where the penguins were. Not having thought about this when we left home, we were about 7 hours too early for the penguin parade!

We got out of the car and walked along the boardwalk anyway, which is built into the side of a hill overlooking the sea. At one point we had to stop because our paths were blocked by a family of Japanese down on all fours taking photos. I bent down to see what they were looking at, and there, all on it's lonesome, was a poor little lost penguin! I was so pleased, even if i only got to see the one, and in the only photo I took I managed to chop the top of it's head off! Still.... at least I saw a penguin.

The following Friday was my last day of work. I'd been there 10 weeks, really enjoyed the work, and saved enough money to keep me going for a while, or until i decided to finish off my 'agricultural' work.

Having spent 3 and a half months in Melbourne, it was time to move on, and so i booked a flight to Adelaide for 2 weeks time.

I was absolutely not allowed to leave before Jeff, my Mum and Dad's friend, came to Melbourne to watch Fulham FC play. Having not seen my parents for 9 months by now, Jeff was the closest to them I was going to get!

So, for the weekend he was going to be here, I booked myself 4 nights back at the hostel.

On the train into the city that Friday morning I was so excited. I went to the hostel, chucked my backpack in, and went straight out to meet him and his friend at a Starbucks nearby.

We had a quick catch up over lunch at a cafe near to their hotel, then went our separate ways so they could sort themselves out and get checked in.

Later that night I met back up with Jeff and Graham and took them to Chinatown for dinner. After that, acting the tour guide, I took them to a bar. (Two bars actually, the first one we went to Graham got knocked back for being too casual)!

After a few drinks, it was time to head back to the hostel for the night, ready for a long 'sightseeing day' the next day.

Back in my dorm, I got chatting to one of my room mates, Louise, a girl from Oxford who had only been in Melbourne 3 days. We ended up talking for ages as it turned out we'd travelled to nearly all the same places in Asia. Louise, like me, had left home with a friend but was now travelling alone, so we decided that over the weekend (when i wasn't seeing Jeff) that Louise and I would do some touristy things together.

The next morning I took Louise to one of Melbourne's many famous laneways where we could sit and watch the hustle and bustle of Melbourne life over coffee and a cake.

Next was the Arts Centre, where they had a ballet exhibit. We were so disappointed not only by the exhibit but by the rest of the gallery that we left after about 30 minutes and went to the National Gallery instead, which was just as disappointing. This was a real shame considering how much I usually enjoy visiting art galleries and museums in every city I go to.

So after wasting a couple of hours, but thankfully no money, I headed out to meet Jeff and Graham back down the laneways for lunch.

After lunch, we went to the Eureka Tower's Skydeck, where i'd been before with my mate Simon. It probably wasn't the greatest idea to go on this particular day, as it was so windy it felt like the building was shaking, never a good sign when you're 88 floors up!

Still, the boys were happy as they got photos of the football stadium, where they were watching Fulham play later that day.

At the hostel I met up with Louise and we decided to use one of our many backpacker discounts to entertain ourselves on a Saturday night.

We went to the "Chill On Ice Lounge", which was $30 for 30 minutes inside (which is long enough), and included a cocktail and shot.

When we arrived they kitted us out with big parka jackets, Ugg boots and two pairs of gloves, but i still couldn't feel the tips of my fingers! Everything from the furniture to the glasses, even the walls, were made of ice. Stepping out into the winter air afterwards actually felt warm!

For dinner we went to a tacky looking Vietnamese restaurant that I'd walked past so many times before and was always full of Asians, a good sign that the food is probably as authentic as it gets in a Western country. We went in and had a bowl of noodle soup amongst the Vietnamese, taking us both back to memories of travelling around Asia.

On the Sunday morning, Louise and I went to the Arts Centre Crafts Market by the Yarra river. A lovely market, full of all sorts of creations the locals had made; frustrating for us both, because as a backpacker you're limited to what you can buy and carry around with you.

We sat and had pancakes by the river, and then I left to meet Jeff and Graham at their hotel.

While in the city, the boys wanted to go and see an Aussie Rules game, we were in the home of AFL afterall. (Over half of the football teams who play in the AFL are from Melbourne and it's suburbs).

We walked down to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, (MCG), and bought our tickets for the Melbourne Demons vs Port Adelaide game.

Then the boys dragged me almost kicking and screaming into the MCG Sports Museum. This was by far the worst museum of them all! Great if you're into sport, as it has the history of almost every kind in there, but not really of any interest to me. But, it passed some time until the game started.

We decided we were Melbourne supporters, for obvious reasons, although apparently neither of the teams playing are any good! But it gave us someone to cheer for, which Jeff did especially, funny as it was the first game he's watched... he got right into it. The atmosphere in the stadium was great despite the small crowd. What i found amazing was that everyone sits together, regardless of what team they support, and there's no trouble at all.

At the end of the game Melbourne had won by 11 points. It was really good fun, and I definitely want to go to more games while i'm in Oz. Watching it on TV still bores me to tears, but seeing it in the stadium is brilliant.

After the game we followed the crowds back to the city, then ended up in the trendy Transport bar for a couple of (very expensive) beers. This was followed by dinner in a nice restaurant on the river where Jeff tried, and enjoyed, his first kangaroo steak.

The next day I went by myself to St Kilda, a seaside town about a 10 minute tram ride from my hostel. Considering how long I'd been in and around Melbourne, I'd neglected this part, surprising as it's so popular with backpackers.

First I surprised a friend from home who I knew worked in a cafe nearby, and I still hadn't seen yet. After a quick coffee and catch up I took a stroll down the beach and along the pier. Then as it clouded over and got darker and darker, I stopped in a restaurant for lunch to avoid the massive downpour that lasted about an hour and flooded the streets.

Next was Brunswick street, famous for it's 'alternative' clothes shops. I have to admit it didn't live up to what I was expecting, so I wonder if I missed something. Maybe I caught the tram to the dodgy end!

I met Jeff and Graham later that day for one last beer at a pub where they had become regulars over the last few days. I said my goodbyes, then went to the Crown Complex to meet Louise at the cinema. We saw The Hangover, such a funny film, and the first time i'd been to the cinema in 9 months.

In the morning I got up early, checked out of the hostel, then Louise and I went to the immigration museum, and learnt all about the 10pound Pom! How I wish they still did that now...

After a quick lunch it was the end of my extremely hectic weekend, and i was back on the train to Frankston.

Absolutely exhausted, I had two days to recover and get myself organised, before flying to Adelaide and starting on the next chapter of my travels!